An Ambassador's memoirs, by Maurice Paleologue (last French Ambassador to the Russian court) - translated by F.A. Holt 1924

Wednesday, February 21, 1917 - After an interminable series of luncheons, dinners and receptions at the embassy, the Finance Ministry, the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Council's residence, the Town Council, the Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna's palace, the Yacht Club, etc., the foreign delegates are now returning westwards, via the ice-bound Arctic Ocean.

The results of this conference, which has been the subject of so much mystery - and likewise so much talk - are very poor. We have exchanged views about the blockade of Greece, the inadequacy of Japan's help, the prospective value of intervention by America, the critical position of Rumania and the necessity of closer and more practical allied co-operation; we have ascertained the colossal requirements of the Russian army in matériel and made joint arrangements to provide for them as soon as possible. That is all.

When Doumergue and General de Castelnau came to bid me good-bye, I gave them a message to take:

"Please tell the President of the Republic and the President of the Council that you have left me very anxious. A revolutionary crisis is at hand in Russia; it nearly broke out five weeks ago and is only postponed. Every day the Russian nation is getting more indifferent towards the war and the spirit of anarchy is spreading among all classes and even in the army. About the end of last October a very significant incident occurred in Petrograd; I reported it to Monsieur Briand. A strike broke out in the Vibori, quarter and as the police were very roughly handled by the workmen, two regiments which were in barracks in the vicinity, were sent for. These two regiments fired on the police. A division of Cossacks had to be hastily called in to bring the mutineers to their senses. So in case of a rising the authorities cannot count on the army. My conclusion is that time is no longer working for us, at any rate in Russia, and that we must henceforth take the defection of our ally into our calculations and draw all the inferences involved."

"I am just as pessimistic as yourself," replied Doumergue; "I shall certainly tell the President of the Republic and M. Briand all you say, and will confirm it myself."

Now here's Sheridan Media's look back in time, to 100 years ago, by reporter Pat Blair as published in the Sheridan Enterprise newspaper on Feb. 21, 1918.

Private Charles W. Durant of Sheridan was reported to be slightly wounded while in action at the front in France on Feb. 17. He is known fairly well in the city. He worked for Goelet Gallatin two years ago and drove a truck for him last summer. (...)

Judge F.W. Byrd of the police court has recovered from his recent operation for appendicitis and has again taken up his official duties.

William S. Hart stars as The Two Gun Man in “The Bargain” today and tomorrow at the Orpheum. Admission is 10 cents for children, 20 cents for adults. This includes War Tax.

This decree was passed by the Council of People’s Commissars on February 21, 1918 and Published February 22 in Pravda and Izvestia TsIK. It was also issued as a separate pamphlet.

In order to save this exhausted and ravaged country from new ordeals of war we decided to make a very great sacrifice and informed the Germans of our readiness to sign their terms of peace. Our truce envoys left Rezhitsa for Dvinsk in the evening on February 20 (7), and still there is no reply. The German Government is evidently in no hurry to reply. H obviously does not want peace. Fulfilling the task with which it has been charged by the capitalists of all countries, German militarism wants to strangle the Russian and Ukrainian workers and peasants, to return the land to the landowners, the mills and factories to the bankers, and power to the monarchy. The German generals want to establish their “order” in Petrograd and Kiev. The Socialist Republic of Soviets is in gravest danger. Until the proletariat of Germany rises and triumphs, it is the sacred duty of the workers and peasants of Russia devotedly to defend the Republic of Soviets against the hordes of bourgeois-imperialist Germany. The Council of People's Commissars resolves: (1) The country's entire manpower and resources are placed entirely at the service of revolutionary defence. (2) All Soviets and revolutionary organisations are ordered to defend every position to the last drop of blood. (3) Railway organisations and the Soviets associated with them must do their utmost to prevent the enemy from availing himself of the transport system; in the event of a retreat, they are to destroy the tracks and blow up or burn down the railway buildings; all rolling stock-carriages and locomotives-must be immediately dispatched eastward, into the interior of the country. (4) All grain and food stocks generally, as well as all valuable property in danger of falling into the enemy's hands, must be unconditionally destroyed; the duty of seeing that this is done is laid upon the local Soviets and their chairmen are made personally responsible. (5) The workers and peasants of Petrograd, Kiev, and of all towns, townships, villages and hamlets along the line of the new front are to mobilise battalions to dig trenches, under the direction of military experts. (6) These battalions are to include all able-bodied members of the bourgeois class, men and women, under the supervision of Red Guards; those who resist are to be shot. (7) All publications which oppose the cause of revolutionary defence and side with the German bourgeoisie, or which endeavour to take advantage of the invasion of the imperialist hordes in order to overthrow Soviet rule, are to be suppressed; able-bodied editors and members of the staffs of such publications are to be mobilised for the digging, of trenches or for other defence work. (8) Enemy agents, profiteers, marauders, hooligans, counter-revolutionary agitators and German spies are to be shot on the spot.
The socialist fatherland is in danger! Long live the socialist fatherland! Long live the international socialist revolution!
Council of People’s Commissars
February 21, 1918
Petrograd

Today’s highlighted casualties include:
Second Lieutenant Douglas Stanley Gordon (Special Reserve Royal Field Artillery attached Royal Flying Corps) is killed by machine gun fire from the ground at age 29. He is the son of the Reverend S C Gordon.

Private Lawrence Dimsdale Adamson MM (Manitoba Regiment) dies at age 24. He is the son of the Reverend W W Adamson.

Feb. 21, 1918 - A patriotic society has been organized by the Spanish American residents of a school district in Mora county. Money has been raised and will be devoted in whatever war activity seems most necessary. A most commendable spirit is shown by the men here.

THE HEREFORDSHIRE REGIMENT - Their First World War ‘Story’ – February 1918

From the Diaries of Capt Rogers: Thu 21 Feb 1918 -
We remained in this position. My only visitors were
the ration mules and the water donkeys and their
respective parties once a day, but I was also visited
by officers three times during my eight days stay at
WADI NACHIB. One night there was sudden Lewis or
machine gun fire in the wadi to my left which I
believed to be unoccupied — I thought It must be the
enemy frightening themselves; but I afterwards
discovered it was a MG post of ours about which I had
never been informed. An enemy aeroplane was brought
down by our Battalion's rifle fire day at SURDAH. The
weather varied between wet and damp, but It was better
than it had been on the whole.

Mr. HARRIS asked the Undersecretary of State to the Air Ministry whether the new cloth for the officers and men of the Royal Flying Corps has been designed; if so, what is its colour and whether arrangements have been made for large quantities of it to be manufactured; if so, when it will be ready; and whether officers will be required to have their uniforms made there from?

Major BAIRD The new cloth approved for the uniform of the Air Force is light blue. Difficulties of manufacture will, however, prohibit its introduction during the War, although it may be used by officers for evening wear. This, however, is optional. For the period of the War both officers and men will be clothed in a similar pattern uniform made of Army khaki cloth. No extra orders for cloth have been placed as it is considered that the Army supply will be sufficient.

Our old acquaintance, the " Mad Mullah " of Somaliland, has once again been disposed of. He had, it seems, taken advan- tage of our preoccupation with the war to build himself forts near the Somali coast. The Colonial Office decided to give the Air Force an opportunity of disciplining the Mullah. A small detachment with twelve machines reached Berbera last month, and on January 21st it suddenly swooped down on the enemy. His forts were bombed and his camelry were scattered by machine- gun fire. Our tribal levies with a few Indian or African regulars from the garrison completed the work. By February 11th the Mullah's last stronghold was taken, and the elusive chieftain himself was a destitute fugitive. The Air Force deserves great credit for this very well-managed campaign, which oost which involved no casualities to our troops, and which ought to ensure the peace of Somaliland for a long time to come. The desert which has foiled so many elaborate expeditions has been conquered by the aeroplane.